Breonna Taylor

On March 13, 2020, Breonna Taylor, a 26-year-old American emergency medical technician, was shot eight times by Louisville Metro Police Department officers Jonathan Mattingly, Brett Hankison and Myles Cosgrove who entered her apartment in Louisville, Kentucky, United States while serving a "no-knock warrant". The investigation was supposedly centered around a "trap house" over 10 miles (16 km) away from the residence of the victim and the two people that police believed were distributing controlled substances.

Taylor's boyfriend, Kenneth Walker, allegedly discharged his firearm first, injuring a law enforcement officer. Walker's lawyer stated that Walker thought that someone was entering the residence illegally, and that Walker acted only in self-defense. Walker faced criminal charges of first-degree assault and attempted murder of a police officer. Walker was released from jail due to coronavirus concerns, which drew criticism from Louisville Metro Police Department Chief Steve Conrad. In late May 2020, Commonwealth’s Attorney Tom Wine moved to dismiss all charges against Walker. The case could be presented to a grand jury again after reviewing the results of investigations by the FBI and Kentucky Attorney General’s Office. He dropped the charges because the officers never mentioned her name to the grand jury or the fact that they shot her. Walker's close friends said that his job was to protect Breonna at any cost. On May 22, 2020, Judge Olu Stevens released Walker out of home incarceration. Rob Eggert, an attorney representing him released a statement saying that "he just wanted to resume his life". At the same time, his attorney said that he could be charged again later as more facts come out of the shooting.

On May 14, 2020, photos were revealed to the public in The Courier Journal by Sam Aguiar, an attorney representing her family. The photos show bullet damage in their apartment and the apartment next door.

For weeks after Taylor's death, there was very little public reaction or response from government officials. Spokespeople for the Louisville Metro Police Department have not provided many details about the shooting or answer questions about the case. Taylor's death gained national attention when activist Shaun King posted about her shooting death on social media. On May 13, 2020, Kentucky Governor Andy Beshear responded to reports about Taylor’s death and said the public deserved to know everything about the March raid. Beshear requested that the Kentucky Attorney General, Daniel Cameron, and local and federal prosecutor to review the findings of the Louisville police’s initial investigation “to ensure justice is done at a time when many are concerned that justice is not blind.” On May 14, Louisville Mayor Greg Fischer and Louisville Metro Police Department Chief Steve Conrad announced they have asked the United States Federal Bureau of Investigation and the United States Attorney to review the local findings of the Public Integrity Unit’s investigation when it is completed.

After intense local and national criticism for the department's handing of the case, Police Chief Steve Conrad announced his resignation to be effective on June 30, 2020.

On May 26, 2020, multiple African-American protesters, some that are the friends and family of Taylor, surrounded the office of the Mayor of Louisville, Greg Fischer, demanding the 3 police officers to be charged with murder and arrested. They're planning another protest to take place on May 30.

Taylor was born in Grand Rapids, Michigan, on June 5, 1993, to Tamika Palmer and Troy Herrod. She graduated from Western High School and went on to study at the University of Kentucky. Taylor worked at two hospitals, University of Louisville Jewish Hospital and Norton Healthcare. According to her personnel records, she worked for the city of Louisville from January to November 2016 and she was promoted to be an emergency medical technician on June of 2016, which her parents said she was proud of that career path. At the time of her death, she was working for University of Louisville Health.